That is so true, in the old days, when one look for a small sporty luxury sedan, the 3 series was it. Now a days, I am not so sure. The 3 series is still the benchmark, but it is not longer a sure thing. The competition, with the same options, has a cheaper MSRP and unless you are an enthusiast, you cannot tell the difference between the way a F30 drives compare to the competition. So what does that leave BMW with? a hand full of auto enthusiast and the rest are buying the car for the badge.

That's how it always is. Auto enthusiasts are such a small % of the overall population. If an auto enthusiast wants a entry level luxury sedan their options are very limited. Just because the new F30 isn't as "hardcore" as previous generations, it still is the leader of the pack for auto enthusiasts, like you mentioned, the benchmark. I am looking forward to driving a ATS(tho not the 2.0t, that has received some pretty negative reviews.)